The hit Broadway play starring two-time Tony Award-winner Nathan Lane, The Nance, returns to the Gables Cinema for encore presentations on Saturday, Sunday & Monday, August 30 to September 1 at 1:00 pm each day. In the 1930s, burlesque impresarios welcomed the hilarious comics and musical parodies of vaudeville to their decidedly lowbrow niche. Douglas Carter Beane's The Nance recreates the naughty, raucous world of burlesque's heyday and tells the backstage story of Chauncey Miles (a gay man in his personal life) playing a headliner called "the nance," a stereotypically camp gay man and master of comic double entendre - usually played by a straight man, and his fellow performers. At a time when it was easy to play gay and dangerous to be gay, Chauncey’s uproarious antics on the stage stand out in marked contrast to his offstage life. When the mayor of New York tries to end burlesque, Chauncey must fight in court for his freedom of expression. Performances are captured live and presented in high quality 2K Digital Cinema Projection that brings Broadway to the Gables. Tickets are $20 and under and are available in advance through the Cinema’s website www.gablescinema.com and in person at the box office during regular screening hours. The Cinema is located at 260 Aragon Avenue, directly across from Books & Books, in downtown Coral Gables.

BY STEVE ROTHAUS

A state appeals court on Thursday rejected Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi's request to hold off on deciding the constitutionality of Florida's gay-marriage ban until after the U.S. Supreme Court someday rules on the issue.

“Upon consideration, appellant’s motions to stay briefing are denied,” the Miami-based Third District Court of Appeal said in a terse ruling Thursday.

“That is the best news of the day. We would have been sitting in limbo for an undetermined amount of time,” said attorney Bernadette Restivo, who represents Aaron Huntsman and William Lee Jones, two Key West bartenders who on July 17 won the right to marry in Monroe County Circuit Court. “Pam Bondi’s stay would have caused enormous irreparable harm to the plaintiffs and others similarly situated. Every day that we move forward in this case will hopefully mean we are moving closer to ending this oppressive discrimination.”

Said Bondi’s spokeswoman Jennifer Meale: “The Court has ruled that the case will move forward, and we will proceed accordingly.”

Monroe Chief Circuit Judge Luis Garcia declared Florida's 2008 gay-marriage ban unconstitutional, ruling against Bondi, whose office defended the ban. Despite that decision, Huntsman and Jones have not been allowed to marry because Florida law mandates an automatic stay pending appeal when a public official loses a court case.

On July 25, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Sarah Zabel also ordered that six other same-sex couples be allowed to marry, but stayed her ruling pending appeal.

Bondi appealed both cases and on Aug. 7 asked the Third DCA, which has jurisdiction over Monroe and Miami-Dade counties, not to hear them until after the U.S. Supreme Court decides the issue. “Neither this Court nor the Florida Supreme Court can decide this federal issue with finality,” Bondi wrote to the appeals court. “The United States Supreme Court, however, ‘has the final word on the United States Constitution.’”

The U.S. Supreme Court has not yet agreed to decide whether state marriage bans are unconstitutional. In June 2013, the court threw out a key portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act and ordered the U.S. government to recognize the Canadian marriage of lesbian Edith Windsor, a New York widow. Since then, same-sex couples have won more than 30 times in federal, state and appellate courts, according to the group Freedom to Marry.

Also on Thursday, the appeals court agreed to consolidate the Monroe and Miami-Dade cases, so they can be heard together.

“For consistency sake, the cases are very similar,” Restivo said. “We have been working in conjunction with the attorneys in the [Miami-Dade] case. It’s important for us to work together to narrowly tailor the issues on appeal. We’re speaking out of one voice sending the exact issues up to the Florida Supreme Court.

The appeals court ruling came a day after a state appeals court in Central Florida asked the Florida Supreme Court to decide the issue once and for all. The Second DCA agreed 10-3 to “pass through” the case of Mariama Monique Changamire Shaw and Keiba Lynn Shaw, a lesbian couple married in Massachusetts in 2010, who are now seeking a divorce in Tampa. Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Laurel Lee refused to grant the couple a divorce because state law bans same-sex marriages. The state Supreme Court has not decided whether to hear the case or send it back to the appeals court.

To date, three other judges in Florida have also declared the state’s 2008 gay marriage ban unconstitutional.

• A day later, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Diana Lewis ruled in favor of W. Jason Simpson, who asked to be personal representative in the estate of his husband, Frank Bangor, who died March 14. The two men, together 37 years, were married Oct. 23, 2013, in Delaware.

In her ruling, Lewis noted that shortly after Bangor died, the state of Pennsylvania legalized gay marriage and that Florida’s anti-gay marriage laws “unnecessarily discriminate” against Simpson. The judge also wrote that her ruling only applies to the Simpson case. Lewis’ ruling becomes final no later than the second week of September if Bondi fails to appeal, said Simpson attorney Drew Fein of Boca Raton.

• On Aug. 21, U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle of Tallahassee ruled against Bondi, declaring the state’s gay-marriage ban discriminates against nine married couples and others who sued to have out-of-state marriages recognized by Florida. Hinkle stayed his ruling until after the appeals process is completed.

By DARA KAM

News Service of Florida

The 2nd District Court of Appeal’s request for the first time puts the Florida Supreme Court in the position of deciding whether to take up the issue after five recent state and federal court decisions found the voter-approved prohibition against same-sex marriage unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court has not indicated when — or if — it will hear the case involving the divorce of Mariama Monique Changamire Shaw and Keiba Lynn Shaw, a lesbian couple married in Massachusetts in 2010. Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Laurel Lee refused to grant the couple a divorce because state law bans same-sex marriages.

The couple appealed Lee's ruling and asked the 2nd District Court of Appeal to “pass through” the case to the Supreme Court. A panel of the appellate court originally refused but, in an unusual twist, the full court revisited the case, resulting in Wednesday's 10-3 ruling.

“This gives us a chance to get directly to the Supreme Court,” said Tampa family lawyer Ellen Ware, who represents Mariama Shaw. “Hopefully it’s time and energy saving and more efficient. Assuming the Supreme Court takes it. They don’t have to take it. I’m hoping that they will. I thought the opinion of the 2nd District was well reasoned and provides the Supreme Court with lots of good reasons to take it.”

Tampa attorney Adam B. Cordover, who represents Keiba Shaw, said both women have worked out all aspects of their separation.

“They came to a full agreement and at this point they just want to get divorced,” Cordover said.

The issue is whether Florida's ban on same-sex marriage and the prohibition on recognizing such marriages “unconstitutionally limits various constitutional guaranties including full faith and credit, access to courts, equal protection and the right to travel,” the appeals court wrote in an 11-page ruling.

Because the pair could not get a divorce in the lower court, their only options would be to go to the Supreme Court or establish residency in a state that recognizes same-sex marriages, the majority wrote. A Broward County judge recently struck down the same-sex marriage ban in another divorce case but put the ruling on hold until appeals are complete in two other lawsuits. The appeals court decision to revisit the pass-through to the Supreme Court came after the Broward ruling.

"Others similarly situated would face the same challenge of establishing residence elsewhere. Should the district courts disagree, couples in different districts will receive disparate treatment until the issue is settled by the Florida Supreme Court. In any event, because of the constitutional implications the issue will likely be addressed by the Florida Supreme Court regardless of any decision we might make," the judges wrote.

But in a dissent, Judge Chris Altenbernd, joined by two other judges, rejected the majority's position that the administration of justice would be negatively impacted unless the case was rushed to the Supreme Court. Such cases should only be passed through if there is a level of statewide urgency, he wrote.

“Given that same-sex marriages are a recent development in other states, I am not convinced that Florida's courts will be clogged in the next three years with out-of-state same-sex couples seeking dissolution,” Altenbernd wrote. “Although the issue on appeal is important to this couple, I am not convinced that the order on appeal represents an issue that is ripe to be treated as one of great public importance.”

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office said Wednesday it is reviewing the appellate court decision. In the wake of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision last year, circuit judges in Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties and a federal judge in Tallahassee have ruled against the state's gay-marriage ban.

Bondi has appealed the Monroe and Miami-Dade cases, and defended the marriage ban in federal court. She asked that appeals in the Miami-Dade and Monroe cases be put on hold until the U.S. Supreme Court decides on similar cases.

For reasons that remain unclear, Becker & Poliakoff senior attorney Walter Kubitz took time out of his busy Monday morning to share his views on the Florida same-sex marriage case, Brenner v. Scott. I don’t know why Kubitz was moved to speak on the matter given that he works out of Becker’s Virginia office and it doesn’t appear that Becker was involved in the case in any way.

From an email sent by Kubitz on Monday to all Becker & Poliakoff professionals:

Today’s reckless trashing of morality has been damaging on many fronts. For one, there has been a significant increase in sexually transmitted disease over the past few decades, with the gay plague of AIDS being a classic example.

We would do well to heed the Proverbs 11:21 warning of our ultimate Judge: “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished.” In other words, popularity does not trump peril.

Homosexuality, clearly condemned throughout Scripture, is especially perilous in that it tends toward the “reprobate mind” as spoken of in Romans 1:18-32 that makes its participants all the more hardened in their ways. The message to the homosexual, as to all, is “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found . . .” (Isaiah 55:6).

Log Cabin Republicans of Miami are proud to Endorse the Re-Election of Rick Scott for Governor of Florida. Actions speak louder than words. Rick Scott Campaigned in 2010 on creating jobs and lowering our debt, he is a man of his word.

Unemployment dropped to 6.2% from 11.1%. Florida went from a deficit of 3.6 Billion dollars to a SURPLUS of 1.2 Billion. He cut taxes 40 times and created 620,700 jobs. He also cut cost of prepaid tuitions by nearly $20,000. This has all been accomplished in less than 4 years! Numbers do not lie. We here at LCR Miami are on board with helping our Governor get re-elected so that he can continue the work he set out to do – Make Florida the best State in the Country to live and work in. LCR Miami stands strong with Governor Rick Scott!

As members of the LGBT community, we understand the importance of marriage equality. However we are not and have never been one issue voters. While Rick Scott has not publicly expressed full support for marriage equality, he has never argued against it.

He has, however, improved the State of Florida by leaps and bounds! We must remember that as responsible citizens we cannot simply cast a vote based on one issue. We must choose the best candidate who will represent the state and provide a better quality of life for all.

We believe this can best be accomplished by improving our economy, creating jobs and cutting taxes, all of which Governor Rick Scott has a clear and proven record on. Again, LCR Miami stands strong with Rick Scott for Governor!

About Log Cabin Republicans of Miami: We are an organization comprised of both Gay and Straight Republicans in Miami Dade County. We believe in limited government, a strong national defense, free markets, low taxes, personal responsibility, and individual liberty. Log Cabin Republicans represents an important part of the American family—taxpaying, hard-working people who proudly believe in this nation’s greatness.

We also believe all Americans have the right to liberty and equality. We believe equality for LGBT Americans is in the finest tradition of the Republican Party. We educate our Party about why inclusion wins. Opposing gay and lesbian equality is inconsistent with the GOP’s core principles of smaller government and personal freedom.

Queer literature is often exclusively defined along the lines of identity and desire. Queer writer = queer work is but the most common version of a formula, pervasive in today’s queer literary cultures, whereby the queerness of a text is reduced to the sexuality of its author and/or its characters.

But what if queer literature could be more broadly, more radically, defined?

For this inaugural reading of the 2014 Reading Queer Festival, we invite you to join us as we begin to answer this question in the company of Julie Marie Wade, Sandra Simonds and Jan Becker—three Florida-based writers whose work speaks to the succulent complexity of Reading, Writing, Being and Becoming Queer.

*This event is sponsored by The Betsy Hotel & Friends Fun Wine.

Cost: Free & open to the public with a suggested donation of $20. Donate here.

MIAMI-Today, U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle, became the first federal judge in the Sunshine State to overthrow Florida's voter-approved constitutional respect for marriage as the union of one man, one woman.

Judge Hinkle's corrupt and racist decision is a judicial lynching of 8 million voters who cast their ballots in 2008 and fully expected to have their votes respected, among them, 64% of Hispanic voters and 71% of African-American voters.

He also violated the constitutional rights to due process and equal protection of ALL voters as well as offended "basic human decency" in "finding" a "constitutional right to homosexual so-called 'marriage', which does not even exist!".

Hinkle's corrupt decision to overthrow Florida's voter-approved Constitutional respect for marriage as the union of one man, one woman, is in open contempt to legally binding precedent established by the U.S. Supreme Court in U.S. vs. Windsor. It denies the voter rights of nearly 8 million Florida voters and violates his Oath of Office. Hinkle has forfeited his legacy and his right to remain on the bench.

BY STEVE ROTHAUS

srothaus@MiamiHerald.com

In the first decision on same-sex marriage with statewide impact, a federal judge ruled Thursday that Florida's gay-marriage ban is unconstitutional, ordering the state to allow the marriage of same-sex couples and to recognize legal marriages performed elsewhere.

“When observers look back 50 years from now, the arguments supporting Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage, though just as sincerely held, will again seem an obvious pretext for discrimination,” wrote U.S District Judge Robert L. Hinkle of Tallahassee. “Observers who are not now of age will wonder just how those views could have been held.”

Hinkle, who stayed most of the effects of his ruling pending appeal, added: “The institution of marriage survived when bans on interracial marriage were struck down, and the institution will survive when bans on same-sex marriage are struck down. Liberty, tolerance, and respect are not zero-sum concepts. Those who enter opposite-sex marriages are harmed not at all when others, including these plaintiffs, are given the liberty to choose their own life partners and are shown the respect that comes with formal marriage. Tolerating views with which one disagrees is a hallmark of civilized society.”

The judge’s ruling comes after 22 individuals, including nine married couples, sued Florida to recognize their marriages or grant them marriage licenses. Plaintiffs in the case include eight same-sex couples from throughout Florida and the LGBT-rights group SAVE, represented by the ACLU of Florida.

“We are overjoyed that the judge ruled on the side of fairness by ordering the state of Florida recognize the legal marriages of the plaintiffs,” SAVE Executive Director Tony Lima said in a statement.

Defendants in the case include Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Scott “respects the many views Floridians have on this issue,” said Greg Blair, spokesman for the governor’s reelection campaign. “He believes in traditional marriage, consistent with the constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2008. There are several cases going through the court system and the governor respects that process.”

Bondi spokesman Whitney Ray declined to say whether the attorney general’s office will take the case to the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. “We’re reviewing the ruling,” he said.

Hinkle wrote that the state presented no good argument for defending the law: “The undeniable truth is that the Florida ban on same-sex marriage stems entirely, or almost entirely, from moral disapproval of the practice.”

The judge also wrote he didn’t buy Bondi’s defense that a “critical feature of marriage is the capacity to procreate.”

“Same-sex couples, like opposite-sex couples and single individuals, can adopt, but same-sex couples cannot procreate,” Hinkle wrote. “Neither can many opposite-sex couples. And many opposite-sex couples do not wish to procreate.”

Said attorney Stephen Rosenthal of Podhurst Orseck in Miami, who represents the eight couples in the ACLU case: “What that means, if you read what he’s saying is that, ‘This is a bogus defense.’”

Bondi’s defense motions in this case led to scrutiny of her own marital history. She has been divorced twice and has no children.

The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops on Thursday supported Bondi’s procreation defense: “Only the union of a man and a woman in and of itself can bring forth children and thus is the very origin of society. With its unique beauty and goodness revealed, the public has a worthy interest in protecting this institution in law as a means to ensure humanity is both nurtured and strengthened.”

The conservative Family Research Council in Washington blasted Hinkle’s ruling. “A radical departure from natural law and human history, this Florida judge has further undermined the legitimacy of the courts in the eyes of the American people. These liberal activist judges may want to take America over the cultural cliff, but don't be surprised when more and more Americans refuse to follow,” FRC Senior Fellow Chris Gacek said in a statement.

In March, eight same-sex couples who married elsewhere in the United States sued Florida to recognize their unions: Sloan Grimsley and Joyce Albu of Palm Beach Gardens; Lindsay Myers and Sarah Humlie of Pensacola; Chuck Hunziger and Bob Collier of Broward; Juan Del Hierro and Thomas Gantt Jr. of Miami; Christian Ulvert and Carlos Andrade of Miami; Richard Milstein and Eric Hankin of Miami; Robert Loupo and John Fitzgerald of Miami, and Denise Hueso and Sandra Jean Newson of Miami.

Del Hierro said he and Gantt met in 2008 as volunteers fighting the effort to ban gay marriage in Florida’s Constitution. Now, they have a son together, Lucas, age 21 months.

“It was volunteering for Amendment 2 that really solidified our relationship,” Del Hierro said. “I remember saying it might take us 20 years to undo the damage it did. To be here six years later, with our family, with our son Lucas, is surreal. Not only to do this for our son, but for our community.”

On April 10, the ACLU amended its complaint by adding another plaintiff: Arlene Goldberg of Fort Myers, whose wife, Carol Goldwasser, died March 13. Goldberg and Goldwasser had been partners for 47 years. They moved from the Bronx to Florida in 1989 and married in New York in October 2011.

The ACLU suit eventually was consolidated with a similar federal case involving two couples in North Florida, one already married in Canada and the other wanting to wed.

“It’s the first federal decision in Florida. When the stay is lifted, it will have statewide impact,” said Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida. “What it will mean, when the stay is ultimately lifted, is that there families will be protected and strengthened. They'll start getting health insurance, pension benefits. They could protect their families with survivors benefits. These are the dramatic, practical ways that this victory will ultimately help families in Florida.”

The gay-marriage battle is being waged across the nation. According to the national group Freedom to Marry, LGBT advocates have won more than 30 times in federal, state and appellate courts since June 2013, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Edith Windsor, a lesbian widow, and threw out a key portion of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.

Since mid-July there have been five rulings in Florida declaring the state’s gay-marriage ban unconstitutional. The previous four rulings were in circuit courts throughout South Florida.

On July 17, Monroe Chief Circuit Judge Luis Garcia ruled that Aaron Huntsman and William Lee Jones of Key West could marry. Eight days later, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Sarah Zabel ruled six same-sex couples in South Florida also had the right to marry. Those decisions are valid only in the judges’ respective counties, and both rulings have been put on hold pending appeals by Attorney General Pam Bondi.

On Aug. 4, Broward Circuit Judge Dale Cohen ruled Florida must recognize and then dissolve the Vermont civil union of Heather Brassner, a lesbian whose partner left her four years ago. The following day, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Diana Lewis ordered W. Jason Simpson should be personal representative in the estate of his husband, Frank Bangor, who died March 14. The two men, together 37 years, were married Oct. 23, 2013, in Delaware.

Hinkle’s stay covered all aspects of the federal case except one: The judge ordered Goldwasser’s death certificate be amended to show she was a married woman, not single at the time she died.

“The defendant Florida Surgeon General must issue a corrected death certificate for Carol Goldwasser showing that at the time of her death she was married to Arlene Goldberg,” Hinkle wrote.

“Isn’t that fabulous? I’m so excited,” Goldberg said Thursday. “It confirms that they actually believe we were a couple. Married. We were together for 47 years and married for three in New York.”

Goldberg is caring for her late wife’s elderly parents. Because Florida hasn’t recognized her marriage to Goldwasser, Goldberg is unable to collect her late wife’s Social Security.

Bondi has until about Sept. 22 to appeal the case or the ruling takes effect, allowing Goldberg to become eligible to collect Goldwasser’s Social Security.

“Pam Bondi would have to go the 11th Circuit to deny survivor benefits to a woman who has been [with] her spouse for 47 years, who recently died, and would be less able to take care of her spouse’s parents,” Simon said. “That would be heartless.”

Kathleen McGrory of the Herald/Times Tallahassee bureau contributed to this report.

As Aqua Foundation for Women announces the resignation of its Executive Director, Robin Schwartz, they offer immense thanks for her dedication and leadership. Schwartz’s history with the organization dates back to its founding days when she was among the small group of women who formed the first foundation focused on the needs of lesbian, bisexual and transgender women in South Florida. This group went on to become Aqua Foundation for Women. Schwartz served on the Board of Directors for over seven years before being appointed as Executive Director in 2010.

"My goals when becoming Executive Director four years ago were to diversify and grow Aqua's income, increase awareness of its programming, develop internal processes , improve external communications, but more importantly, assure Aqua's work addresses the needs of LBT women in South Florida", says Robin Schwartz.

Aqua Foundation has achieved much under Robin’s leadership:

High impact initiatives such as the LBT Health Directory and the LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Initiative

Increased annual scholarship giving from $28,000 to $60,000

More balanced fundraising. In 2009: 16% of a $285,000 budget was raised outside of Aqua Girl, AFW's largest fundraiser. In 2013: 55% of a $485,000 budget was raised outside of Aqua Girl

Created an Aqua Men group to welcome and encourage male involvement and support

Stronger relationships with other LGBTQ and ally organizations leading to valuable collaborations

Created new community events and programs such as the annual LGBTQ Family BBQ, Aqua Ally Awards and the LBT Emerging Leadership Conference

“Robin’s dedication, passion, and hard work to maintain the purpose of AFW in the LBT community has elevated the Foundation and positioned us for continued growth and positive impact for those who need it most for years to come. We wish her all the best and remain forever grateful for her work”​, states Nicole Waters, AFW Chair.​

“We are extremely proud of where Aqua is today and know the foundation is poised to continue to flourish, grow and have a positive impact on the LGBTQ community. AFW's board is actively searching for a new Executive Director. We look forward to this next step in AFW's amazing journey and know that Robin will always be a part of our Aqua family,” says Waters.

Gustavo is a board member of the Impulse Group South Florida Chapter - As the Director of Advocacy, Gus works closely with the Advocacy team to craft and deliver the most effective messaging for the community and demographic. This results in a combination of impactful and memorable education and advocacy that bring all our marketing and events to life.

"i am" will be Impulse SoFl's most powerful event yet! Since its inception as Impulse South Florida, and through its rebranding and expansion as Impulse South Florida. We have strived to bring impactful education to the LGBT community through provocative, sexy, unique marketing. I am will be an experience like you've never seen. Audio and Visual presentations will delve you into 6 stories that are all intimate, compelling, and personal testimonies.

Stay tuned as each Tuesday leading up to the event, we unveil more about who we are, why we do what we do, and all about our next event in the I am Impulse interview series.